Thursday, January 23, 2014

Tragic end for the little elephant who got lost

This is the dramatic moment a lion single-handedly kills a young African elephant after riding on its back until it collapses to the ground.

The elephant, thought to be around three to four years old, was caught alone as it drank from a watering hole. Rare footage shows the young male attempt to scare the predator away by mock charging, before quickly turning on its heels.

However, the lion easily caught up and leapt on its back, riding it until it tired and dropped to the floor.

The lion tried to unbalance the elephant to bring it down, but in vain. Then he tried to slow its pace down by hanging on to the back. As the elephant came to a standstill the lion jumped in the air and twisted, which brought the elephant down to the ground. Then the lion’s brother came to help but only to hold the elephant so his brother could deliver the lethal bites. The whole thing took about 30-40 minutes before the lions, which included a female and a cub, could then begin to eat.”

It is not clear if the young elephant was part of a larger herd or living on its own. Mr Haas said there was no sign of larger elephants nearby during the 40 minutes it took for the lions to finish the kill.

He believes the young elephant was driven to the watering hole by extreme thirst and may have become separated during the frantic search for water.

He added, “It is sad but a natural experience of nature. It was a privilege to see it with the eye of the film-maker and with the watery eye of an elephant lover. For us it’s a unique experience that we will never forget.”